Fine-tuning the Engine!

What's up with you Planet Earth, this is your boy Speed Pacer checking in with you after another fantastic week of training.

This past week I really wanted to see if I can still continue to improve my performance, and my body did not disappoint. After a great ride Sunday I decided to give myself much needed day off the bike, so I decided to run with Mrs. P. I woke up the next day, and hit the sidewalk with Mrs. P, and the Water Ionizer had improved her performance, and after about 17 minutes she just kept turning the screws and I couldn't keep the pace. She was even taunting me saying " Keep the pace Mr. Pace". After she dropped me like a husband at the alter, I took it back to the house and she continued for her 1 hr run. I'm holding her back, so no more running with her.

I enjoyed the rest of day off from an aerobic standpoint, but the screws were still turning mentally and emotionally. I decided I would do only 2 high intensity workouts this week. That would be a strong effort at Markham, and my first "Hundy" of the 2008 for me. In between I would but in some nice low HR recovery rides, with some hypoxia workouts on the CAT Altitude Unit using the mask.

On Tuesday I did my first recovery ride, and decided it would be based on Speed, and not HR. So I kept the speed between 19-20mph. One thing I noticed about these types of workouts is my body goes through periods when I feel good, and other moments when I'm out of sync. When your racing XC you are hurting the entire time, and don't have time to really monitor if you are up or down when you are in the pain locker.

After the 90 minutes, I jumped on the patio, got myself up to 9000ft on the hypoxia unit, and did the OLD (One Legged Drills) on my ipod. After 30 minutes of that I was good to go. I'm trying to accomplish a variety of things with this kind of workout. I want to put in the 90 minutes of steady riding, then I want to ride at 9000ft for 30 minutes as it adds another extra 30 based on the altitude training. Then I want to work on my improving my cadense, which was 88rpm for min. for 90 minute workout. This is the kinda day that you can work on the small things. Here is the chart.

Since the next day was Wed, and I get off at 2 I decided I would go to Markham and the plan was to do 6 laps. I want to compare it to my MLK Day ride when I did 6 laps at markham. In the middle of the second lap I got a flat tire. Yuck! That ruined my workout as I was feeling great and was ahead of my first lap time with a much lower HR. I wanted to to do at least 2 more laps, so I went to the 2 nearest bike shops, but they didn't have tubeless tires. Ok, the ride is a BUST for Wednesday.

I got off Thursday in the early afternoon, took my rear wheel to Active Cycles and got a new tire on it. When I got it home and put the rear wheel on, somehow the rotor knocked out one of the brake pads out, and I wasted 30 minutes trying to get them back in. One of my goals this year is to become a much better wrench, so this was one of the moments for me to get some practice in. But it did prevent me from being able to do 6 laps, so I committed to 4 laps. I left the house so quick that I forgot my ipod, and that is a serious offense. I'm in my 4th year racing Expert and I can count how many time I have rode without music. But since I had limited daylight, and I had lost time putting the pads back in, I decided not to turn around. I would have to feel and hear the entire course today.

After I rode around the park to warm up I went back to the car to get an extra water bottle. I knew that some of my peers told me that my bike was squeaking due to needing new bushing, but that was just outrageous. I put some WD-40 on the bushings, and that quieted it for the moment. Note to self: Get bushing before Santos. As soon as I got into the course I was feeling really good, and I knew I would be faster on all check points. I was not doing a full laps, I was actually doing the "Hospice Lap". I get to the halfway point in the lap, and I'm about 30 seconds faster. By the time I'm finish that lap I'm about 48 seconds faster than the MLK(Martin Luther King)Day workout. On the second lap, I feel just as good and at the halfway point I'm on the same time as the first lap. I actually decided to hold back, and I bring it in about 12 seconds lower.

I get back to the car, and I quickly get 2 more bottles and try to make the pit stop less than 1 minute. I get back in the course and I'm still feeling good and I just keep it breezy and at the halfway point I'm back to the same time I was on the first lap. This year I have really learned how to not be a slave to the HR monitor, and I spend my time finding a nice endurance flow. I don't even look at my HR anymore, I only look at my time, and I bring in the lap 5 seconds slower than my first lap.

As soon as I go in for lap 4 I have no intention of riding that fast, I decided to back it off and at the halfway point I'm about 15 seconds out of my first laptime. I'm in Bermuda and I slide out on some soft sand as I'm about to go over a log and I actually knock out some air. It was the first time I have ever burped out some air out of my tire, and I actually thought it was flat. As soon as I saw it was not flat I quickly jumped back on the bike and decided to finish out the lap. The front tire was really unstable on shart turns due to the burp so I take it in about 50 seconds slower than the first lap, but it was a really successful workout.

Honestly, I think this is closer to XC racing , but I did what I could do based on time, course, and the protocol I have created.

Here is the total chart from MLK

Here is the total Chart from this past Thursday.

As you can see I spent very little time in the red racing zone, and you will see that I'm just faster. I'm not sure if those chart really do justice, so I decided to see if I can break it down a little better for you. I'm going to compare 4 laps of the Markham workout on MLK, and this past Thursday by showing the stats from each lap.

Here is the 1st lap of MLK Workout. Actually look at the second line which tells you what lap I did, not time as that tells you the total time for the entire workout.

Here is the 1st lap of this past week

My HR was down 7bpm, and I was over 45 seconds faster

Here is the 2nd lap of MLK Day

Here is the 2nd lap of this past week.

I was hurting on this lap on MLK, but this past week I was able to knock off over 2 minutes and 10 seconds.

Here is the 3rd lap of MLK Day

Here is the 3rd lap of this past week.

I was in a flow on MLK Day on this lap, but this past week I had that same flow, but I was just faster. Actually, I was actually exactly 90 seconds faster

Here is the 4th lap of MLK Day.

Here is the 4th lap from this past week.

Even after losing time because of a small crash, and having only about 20lbs of pressure I was still 40 seconds faster on this day compared to MLK Day. After that I rode around the park to make my total for the day just over 30 miles. I know that this not enough singletrack, that is why I'm doing my first "Hundy" mile ride for 2008 on "Sheridian Ride" Saturday.

After giving myself an emotional pat on the back for being stronger all the way across the board on this Markham workout, I went back to my low HR recovery workout. There is a really nice loop right outside of my complex, and I never have to worry about traffic and I really get a chance to keep my HR in the ideal zone.

This workout I decided to up the ante just a bit compared to Tuesday by decided to keep my speed between 20-21mph. I started to zone out as soon as I got into the workout, and that makes the workout go by quicker. I was able to keep my speed and HR where I wanted it and I got through the 90 minutes feeling quite good. My Avg Cadense was 94rpm, which was up 6rpms up from Tuesday. I still jumped on the trainer, turned up the unit to 9000ft, and did the same One Legged Drill. I skipped the warm up and cool down, which made it 30 minutes. Here is that chart.

I was really excited about the 100 mile day and since I was fully recovered it would be easy for me to get through it. I got up at 6am, eat some granola cereal with bananas, and as soon as I got to my bike the front tire was flat. Damn! I fixed it but I lost time as I was trying to analyze the problem so it would happen again. I left the house at 6:45, so I wouldn't be able to put in more than 20 miles before I get to the Sheridian ride.

I get out on the road, and my legs feel heavy and I know the problem. I need to drop some more riders out of the peloton. I thought I had my morning bathroom excursion, but more riders need to go backwards. I changed my route to find a gas station, and I instantly feel better once I get back on the bike. I keep it steady and get to the ride with Garrett of Bike America.

I pull into the ride, and I hear psssssssssssss! I took off my headphones, and it was me with the front tire going flat again. I ride up to Joe D, and he holds my bike as he hears the flat. At the same time they are whistling for the ride to take off. I go and get a tube from Tony, and he grabs a pump for me as I go back out. Joe is pulling off the tire, and put sweat all over him giving him assistance. The whistling is still going as we are putting the tube back in. The riders are going out to Sheridian and go says, "I gotta go before I get dropped". I get the tube back in, and Tony starts pumping, but the pump won't go over 60psi. We both rush into the shop and I find another pump, and this one does not work at all. I go over to a new pump, tear the plastic off the adapter and I put it in and as soon as Tony gets it to 120lbs I yank it out, and run back out to my bike in front of the shop.

I know I'm not going to make it to group, but I have to at least try. If the stars are aligned then I can get back with them. I had my 100 mile route together and I needed this ride to be a part of it. I needed the high end, as I have not done much this week. I get out to Sheridian Rd. and I hit the laptime marker on my HR monitor and before I know it I'm going 28mph, and I can't even see them. I put my head down and the next time I look up I'm going 29.5mph. I can see the group, and they are really, really, far away. I don't have any burn in my legs, so I put my head down again. The next time I look up the group is closer and I'm going 30.7mph. I know I have to catch the group before they get over I-75 because once they come back down the westside of I-75, they are going to take off.

I start getting excited because I know I will catch them, and I can't even remember if there is burn in my legs. I bridge up to the group just over I-75 and I blend into the group quite nicely. Joe D looked over to me a couple of minutes later and said, "Boy, you had to put in an effort to get back to us". I just looked at him and said, "Yeah". I didn't feel turned inside out at all. Especially, not compared to 4 weeks before. When I looked at my chart the HR monitor was acting up and didn't show my actually HR. That was probably a good thing, so I wouldn't have been defeated by that number.

The group gets going and once we turn on Hwy 27, things starts shaking up at the front. I slowly move my way to the front, and there is a group that is putting the smash down. We are going over 33.8mph for over 1 minute, and as soon as they back off, I pulled out and keep going. No one goes with me, and for about 2 minutes I was out on my own just pushing the pedals. When the group catches me, I'm offered a push by a couple of riders and I decline. I want to back into the group and recover.

I move back up to the front just before we turn East on 84, and the group breaks up and everyone's just riding for themselves. Soon after order is restored and the group that is off the front are slowly brought back in.

I sit in the group all the way over I-75, and I move up to the group and it is practically dissected into 2 big groups. The lead group has about 15 seconds, and I have no idea how it happened, but it did happen quickly. Normally, I would be one of the guys that would make up the front group that is making the charge to bridge, but with so many riders I stay right where I'm at. In less than 2 minutes we are all back together and I haven't burnt a matches.

I sit in to wait for the sprint, and it just does not look good. About 40 riders are staying in position and normally it's about 20. As it gets going I can't find a way in as way too many riders are being dropped out of the back as the group is stretched out really long. I make a surge up to 36mph, and I instantly pull the plug. I didn't want to waste an effort if I wanted to get to 100 miles for the day.

I get to the gas station, eat a bananas and gel. I decided to ride back home and get my own 9.5 water instead of the awful water in these stores. I'm now just under 49 miles and my plan is to do a 51 mile time trial to get me just to the Benajamin Franklin (100 people). I go home, drink 3 water bottle, eat 1 bananas and 2 more bars, and I run Lance downstairs to hit his favorite trees and I'm back off. I'm at 59.2 miles at this point. Great I can do my normal 40 mile time trial route, then ride around to get just to the Century mark.

It takes me a bit to get into the groove as the 10 minute break back home was just enough to start the "Acid Buffering" process over again. I'm very surprised that I feel so good. I mean good like I just started out. In fact, I'm riding a time that will most likely rival my best 2 hr workout with fresh legs.

At the halfway point I'm riding a very good clip, and when I turn around I have a tailwind, and I actually hold back. I know there is a headwind going East on 84, and I'm going to leave some in the account for that. I'm on a high because I'm just riding stronger and stronger. I get to 84, and the normal headwind has me going between 17-19mph. But I'm between 20.5-22.5 and my heartrate is 142bpm, so I have some more to give. I stay patience and as the wind get stronger I slowly bring up my effort, but I manage to keep it under 150bpm all the way home. I ride for another .8 of a mile to make it a cool "HUNDY". This has been the best 100 mile workout that your boy Pacer has ever done.
Here is the info from the HR monitor. 100 miles right on the dot.

Here is the Avg Speed. That's gangsta.

And the time.

That time, I had to do a double take on the time of 4hrs, 37mins. 3 weeks ago I did the same workout and got 96.1 miles out of 4hrs, 37mins. I was able to squeeze out 4.6 miles in the same time. Plus, I went from 91rpms, to 93rpms. OK, I have to break this one down for you since my HR monitor was acting haywire during a section of the ride.

I'll start out by showing you the entire charts for both workouts.

3 weeks ago

This past Saturday

Then I'll break it all the way down "Stat style".

Here is the ride to the Sheridian ride 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride to Sheridian Sat.

Here is the Sheridian ride 3 weeks ago

Here is the Sheridian ride Saturday

Here is the ride home to get more water 3 week ago

Here is the ride home Sat.

Here is the ride back out to Orange and Flamingo 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride back out to Orange Flamingo Sat.

Here is the ride back home 3 weeks ago

Here is the ride back home Sat.

I took a nap, and was awaken by Mrs. that forgot to tell me that we had to go to a Birthday party for her Boss. She woke me up out of my "100 Mile" nap for a birthday party. Man, I should just lay here and act like a stupid husband. But she is Haitian and will probably sprinkle some of that powder on me and my head will shrink like Beattlejuice. So I dragged myself out of bed to hang out with a bunch of boring ass therapists. Word to the wise, when you are around a bunch of people that Psychoanalyze the way you breathe, just shut up and watch.

We were able to take some picture, and Mrs. P kept saying you actually look nice when you shave back the "Big Foot", and put on the nice clothes you have. Look


After all the prayers, the speeches, the songs, and the slides on powerpoint I was burnt out. When I tasted the vegetables I look over at Mrs. P and had enough. I said, "I'm going to act like I'm going to the bathroom", you understand what I'm saying. She said, "I'll be right behind you". In less than a minute we were out of the hotel, in the car, and high fiving each other for getting out of there before it really got started. I got home in time to watch HBO boxing. I watch the 5'9 Carlos Quintana upset the 6'2Paul Williams for the 147lbs title. It was almost comical watching the short guy throw punches at that very tall target. Carlos, Floyd Mayweather is coming for that ass.

Sunday morning, I decided it would be great idea to just not ride the bike on Sunday, so I decided to get the racket out to get me some new headphones. Every 2 weeks there is money pot competition in table tennis in Davie. I've only played it once in my life, as I never play in bad conditions. The Boy & Girls club has some type of legos in the gym and they move which is just bad for someone like me that is all over the court. I had only had 1 training session this year, which was last Wednesday, so I'm reaching but if there is money I'm the line, I'm there.

I wanted to get win the $100.00 so I could make a drive up to the Apple Store at Boca Mall to get some headphones. The headphones I have now have a shortage in them, and I need to get some before Santos. As soon as I got there, I was playing in less than 5 mins. It was strange being back out there with the other players looking at me like they were going to scalp me. I found my instinct the second match, but I was seriously knocking off dust the footwork, handspeed, reaction time, movement, and timing.

I won my group, and moved into the final group. I lost to a guy that I have never lost to from Trinidad, then I turned around and beat a guy from Cuba. I had actually never beat him as he beat me twice just before retired. I didn't advance because the Cuban buy beat the Trinidadian guy 3-0, The Trinidadian guy beat me 3-0, and I beat the Cuban guy 3-1. See that 1 game the Cuban dude won just cost me money, so I had to go to Boca and spend my money. After the Oleta race I'm coming back to rock that world pong players. Yes, Daddy's coming back to take over the hen house.

I couldn't chose between these 2 at the store, so I bought both of them.

The first headphones are so loud that I just decided I would use those when I'm jamming in the house, or airport, or just traveling. The second one was the normal one that I use. So I have my tunes back.

I take a nap, and make myself a nice alkalizing meal. Just broccoli and onions. Bump what they say about milk for protein. I'm not a baby anymore, so the excessive milk for protein is way over-rated. If you eat enough broccoli, you will get all the protein, iron, minerals, etc that is needed to replenish the body. Take a look. Yummy!

Now, what is on tap for this week. Maybe one strong effort ride, but mostly tempo riding just under race speed. Then, some final upgrades to my steed, the Racer-X. First, I have the new bushing in for the Titus. Then I have the 2008 Juicy 7 Carbon's coming in on Tuesday. Gonna get my boy Ryno to put 2 Fast Trac Pro tires on hold for me so I can put them on fresh before the race.

One thing I haven't mentioned was the food plan I plan to use for Santos, as I'm saving that for last. Man! All I have to say it, RADICAL, RADICAL, RADICAL. Just before I leave I'll reveal my plan, and I know that I have everything covered. Either I'm going to shock everyone with a performance that is better than anyone expect, or I'm just going to go down in flames.

When I'm out training I'm constantly thinking about whether or not I'll have what it takes to even hang with these guys at all and the competitor in me wants to hang in there for a while and even make them think that I may be a player in the Endurance race, and the sane part of me just wants to finish the race to say I had the experience to put the notch on my belt. I really think food plays a big part, so I'm hoping what I have on tap for food will get me through hours 8-12.

Either way, you'll have a "Front Row" ticket to "Pacer Experience".

Pacer Out